Uproar Over School Cafeteria That Doubled as a Nightclub (Charter School)

[tonysam]

Books by day, beers by night — at least that is what school district officials in Philadelphia say was offered at a charter school there, where they say the school’s cafeteria was used weekends as a nightclub.

Fernando Gallard, a spokesman for the school district, said his office was investigating whether the school, the Harambee Institute of Science and Technology Charter School itself rented the cafeteria to the bar, known as Club Damani, or if the landlord did so. In the meantime, Mr. Gallard said, the city has asked the bar to cease operating or the school to move.

The school is home to roughly 500 students in kindergarten through eighth grade. When it opened in 1997, it was one of the first charter schools in the city. Now, there are 67 charter schools educating about 34,000 students, Mr. Gallard said.

Harambee officials did not respond to requests for comment. But they posted an open letter on the school’s Web site, saying reports about the school’s operating a bar, which first appeared over the weekend on a local television station, WPVI-TV, were “a biased depiction of the true success story that Harambee truly is.”

NYT

Well, that's what happens when there is no real oversight of so-called "public" charter schools.

[napi21]

1. Sorry, but I don't see a problem with what they're doing.

Our church used to have parties in the school basement all the time. St. Patrick's Day we had Green Beer, we always had a Christmas Party & a New Years Eve Party where your cover charge paid for the hall & the beer etc, but you had to bring any wine or liquor on your own. There were never any problems & the church made a few bucks on space that would otherwise not be used.

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. I do.

What happens when the kids find a drink they forgot to throw out? Or a beer can?

[NoNothing]

5. What do you mean?

Are you suggesting that kids otherwise would never encounter a beer can or a glass of liquor?

Where do you live, Utah?

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. You want them to encounter this at school?!

LOL

We don't allow drugs within 1000 feet of a school but we allow alcohol to be sold on the premises? That doesn't make any sense.

[stray cat]

2. sounds economical and fiscally astute

[Hannah Bell]

10. lol. is it just teacher & police unions you have a problem with, or the whole concept?

[NoNothing]

3. I also don't see what the problem is, specifically

Is there supposed to be some kind of metaphysical "taint?" Educational spaces are not, to my knowledge, *actually* holy ground.

[mzteris]

7. Churches rent out school property

all the time to hold their services . . . so what's the diff?

Hell, I'd rather my kid encounter a forgotten beer than a "forgotten Sunday School book".

[mzteris]

8. the really important part here -

"In the letter, school officials said Harambee excelled in building students’ self-worth, engaging parents and consistently producing students who exceed state standards in math and reading." from the OP article


************

edit to add from the school's website:

This attack on Harambee Charter School is a biased depiction of the true success story that Harambee truly is. There were numerous positive perspectives to choose:

** Inner city charter school consistently exceeds state proficiency standards in Math & Reading
** Harambee’s academic program models how education and self-worth are interconnected
** Harambee’s Dream Design Build program builds computers and robots from the ground up
** Charter school models how to effectively engage parents and treat them as partners in education

** Harambee is a cornerstone in the neighborhood by hosting and facilitating community events
** Harambee provides a safe and suitable environment that promotes student achievement
** Charter school provides supplemental activities (after-school, Saturday, and summer enrichment) that ensure academic excellence

Unfortunately, the above mentioned headlines are not “news-worthy”, so we don’t hear about them.



Harambee Institute of Science and Technology Charter School serves approximately 450 students.

The students at Harambee, live within the city of Philadelphia. The mission of the Institute is to develop and encourage children from kindergarten through eighth grade to fully participate in the exploration of science and technology. In addition, Harambees’ vision is to use knowledge of science and technology as a means of promoting self-reliance in the African American community specifically and the world community in general.

[Hannah Bell]

11. the really important thing here is how some inevitably make excuses for charter schools

while damning public schools for similar offenses.

charter schools = a fraudulent theft of tax dollars by private actors, & their backers = thieves.

[Catshrink]

13. The cognitive dissonance must be deafening

doncha think?

:evilgrin:

[mzteris]

9. ah - "smear journalism" at it's best

The school was renting out for "banquets and birthday parties". No nightclub.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/89667232.html

[Hannah Bell]

12. the space was rented to a bar. that's fact, jack.

not only that, they were storing liquor there.

but you'll spin in any direction to whitewash charters.




Philly charter school says nightclub will close
By KATHY MATHESON (AP) – 1 day ago

PHILADELPHIA — A charter school cafeteria will no longer double as a nightclub on nights and weekends, city education officials announced Wednesday after inspecting the facility.

Owners of the Harambee Institute of Science and Technology Charter School have removed all banquet supplies and equipment, including alcohol, from their building, which on weekdays educates about 450 students in kindergarten through eighth grade.

Philadelphia district officials had demanded an end to the school's arrangement with Club Damani, which had been operating on the premises during off-hours despite an expired liquor license.

The news pleased Kathleen Revels, 65, who lives near the school and said she has put up with club-related noise, trash, parking problems and drunken behavior for too long. "For eight years I've been trying to get this place closed down or make it livable for the neighbors," Revels said Wednesday.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jW0NsBRDstbk_fQD6GSC1o6CbbRwD9EPS5B80

[Hannah Bell]

14. LOL. Your link: "Nightclub gone, Harambee students to return Monday"

Philadelphia School District officials said students would be allowed to return to the Harambee Institute of Science and Technology charter school on Monday now that a nightclub has been removed from the building."


How could it be gone if it was never there, ms tetris?


Furthermore:

"Butkovitz said an investigation into 13 city charter schools by his office found that Sharif was paid $700,561 over four years by the three schools, claimed to have worked more than 365 days in each year, and collected $101,587 in reimbursement for "unspecified" credit-card expenses from one of the schools in 2008.

He said he released the portion of his report pertaining to Harambee after news reports that a nightclub was operating in the school building on weekend nights. The full report will be released within two weeks.

After the state charter law was changed in July 2008 to bar charter administrators from being paid by more than one school, Sharif was employed solely by Mathematics, Civics and Sciences. However, in an apparent violation of the law, she continued to provide business services to the other two schools under contracts, Butkovitz said. She stopped providing services to Khepera at some point in 2009, he added.

The investigation by Butkovitz's office also found that Sharif's husband's construction company - Str8-Hand Construction Inc. - had received $7.44 million in construction and maintenance contracts with the three charter schools."


"District records show that a lawyer who no longer works for the district reported that a liquor license had been transferred to Harambee Institute Inc., a related nonprofit. In a 2003 memo, the lawyer recommended scheduling a hearing to allow the charter board to explain "how this arrangement is in the best interests of the children and furthers the intent of the Charter School Law and the Public School Code.""



Wow, thanks for the info -- which you misrepresented. A non-profit r/t the charter held the flipping liquor license, too!

I'm sure it's all just a big misunderstanding. Not.

Charter school scammers.

[Riley18]

15. Charter schools should be called Corporate Profit Centers. That is why the

Bush clan wants them in the first place. They were not satisfied with the profits they get from the FCAT and other bogus state tests. Charter school owners are like the old snake oil salesmen.

[mzteris]

16. charters are non-profit organizations

most "owners" - apprx 80% of all charters - are local teachers, parents, and citizens who want the best for their community.

appx 10% are MANAGED by non-profit organizations.

appx 10% are MANAGED by "for-profit organizations" - those same organizations that MANAGE some Traditional public schools....

[Hannah Bell]

19. your oft-repeated statistics from the walton-funded website are erroneous,

out of date, & intentionally misleading.

"To add to this mixture of governance models, many charter schools have another layer of administration: Educational management organizations (EMOs), which now run close to 30 percent of all charter schools throughout the United States.

These organizations began in the 1990s, largely as for-profit entities, thereby injecting entrepreneurship into public schools. Initially, most for-profit EMOs simply took over management of existing public schools, primarily in urban areas.

Today, however, such organizations also are active in charter school operation and management. For-profit EMOs run 16 percent of all charter schools."


Not to mention the real estate "rent" scams, the "curriculum" scams, the "training" scams of some so-called "non-profit" EMOs.

http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=lvIXIiN0JwE&b=5868097&ct=8089273¬oc=1.


Charter schools = appropriation of public resources: tax money, real estate, civic decisions -- by private actors.

[Catshrink]

17. Well said.

Just another scheme to siphon off public funds.

[LooseWilly]

18. You're looking at this all wrong... think of it as student motivational aides...

Whoever scores highest on a test... get's a beer, or shot of tequila... whatever's on hand.

If parents volunteer and help around the school, they get a shot too, or a beer... whatever's on hand.


All this talk of layoffs and merit based pay to motivate teachers...
Won't someone please think of the children?
Motivate their little bottoms to do some work too!! :tinfoilhat: